#WeeklyRecap: Cyber attack warnings, Chrome spyware, voice tweets, and more
This week's technology updates were marked by major cybersecurity threats from Chinese and North Korean hackers and some really annoying bugs in Apple and Microsoft's products. There were also some interesting consumer tech announcements, including fancy new smartphones, laptops, and a completely new (and also controversial) voice-based way to share tweets. Here is our quick recap of everything.
Major cybersecurity threats looming over India
Following India's clash with China, two separate reports from Cyfirma have warned about the risk of cyber-attacks against Indian individuals and businesses. One suggests the Chinese hacking community, believed to be the largest in the world, is gearing up to conduct a range of attacks in critical sectors, while the other says North Korea's Lazarus hacker group is planning a large-scale phishing attack campaign.
Concerns over 52 Chinese apps
Meanwhile, Indian intelligence agencies have red-flagged 52 Chinese apps as "unsafe" and asked the government to either block them or ask the public to refrain from using them. The list includes some very popular services, including TikTok, ClubFactory, Mi Store, SHEIN, WeChat, and SHAREit.
Twitter's voice tweets, labeling of Trump's fake video
On the other hand, Twitter made headlines by continuing its stringent moderation practices and labeling a fake video shared by President Trump as "manipulated media". The company also launched a new "voice tweet" feature, which was later found to be inaccessible to people with hearing disabilities. The major miss went on to reveal that the company does not even have a dedicated accessibility team.
Bugs in latest MacBooks, Windows 10 OS
Among other things, annoying bugs were found in Apple and Microsoft's products. The Apple issue is tied to a problem in the latest MacBooks that made them incompatible with USB 2.0 peripherals connected through a hub. Meanwhile, the Microsoft glitch was associated with Windows 10, which repeatedly signed users out of their Google accounts in the Chrome browser.
Google's product updates and fixes
Google, on its part, announced deeper integration between Google Meet and Gmail to make it easier for users to start virtual conferences and removed over 70 spyware-laced extensions in Chrome. Notably, the company was reported to be working on a feature that automatically hides most part of the URL while browsing as well as on a new premium smart speaker codenamed "Prince".
Finally, the hardware launches
In the smartphone category, a number of devices were announced, including Vivo V19 Neo, Samsung's BTS Edition Galaxy S20+, Galaxy A21s, and Galaxy A51 5G, TECNO Spark Power 2, Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro, Nubia Red Magic 5G Lite, Motorola One Fusion+, and LG Velvet. Beyond that, there were also the launches of Nokia 5310 feature phone and Acer's Nitro 5 and One 14 laptops.
